Dirk Nowitzki received a huge gift on Christmas morning when the Dallas Mavericks unveiled an awesome statue of the legendary forward outside of American Airlines Center.
Team governor Mark Cuban promised he would erect a statue in Nowitzki’s honor when the team retired Nowitzki’s No. 41 jersey earlier this year, and this moment delivered on that promise. The statue features Nowitzki’s iconic one-legged fadeaway that helped him become one of the best players in NBA history. Nowitzki averaged 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in his 21-year career.
The artist who made the statue, Omri Amrany, also designed a few sculptures of other NBA legends, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal. Details on the statue include the shoes and jersey Nowitzki wore during the Mavericks’ title season in 2011 as well as a phrase that reads, “Loyalty never fades away,” at the base.
Nowitzki currently sits sixth on the NBA’s all-time scoring leaderboard with 31,560 points and has been named to 14 All-Star rosters, 12 All-NBA rosters and won an MVP and a Finals MVP. He’ll be eligible for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
